Rocking allure of heavy metal

The epithet "man of steel" is often ascribed to superhuman characters made of the hard stuff. For Tom Kundig, however, it alludes to his love and use of metal, enabling his oft-quoted yearning for connection with nature.

The American artisan, once described as "one of residential architecture's rock stars", a partner in Seattle-based Olson Kundig Architects, has built whole houses out of metal, including a "virtually indestructible" weekend cabin in a Washington national park that, in April, won one of the American Institute of Architects' housing awards.

The rugged patina and raw materiality of the steel-clad cabin was the architect's response to its wilderness setting, but when Kundig steps into our living rooms, he has a poetic agenda: the simple act of opening a door "becomes a ballet between user and structure".

This explains the sensuous curves of the Tom Kundig Collection, a steel accessories line focused on intimately scaled hardware. The collection consists of more than 100 unique cut-and-fold steel products ranging from cabinet and door pulls to rollers and tables - each piece fabricated by ironmongers, then finished and waxed to reveal the subtle marks of its making.

Kundig's interest in steel stems from his early years alongside sculptor Harold Balazs. "His style of working influenced me, along with his reverence for the landscape and his fascination with the materials of industry - steel, concrete and large objects," Kundig says. "I learned about the balance of art and poetics from watching and working with him.